New gourmet burger shop opens Monday in Spartanburg

Wednesday

Jan 9, 2013 at 6:52 PM

A new west-side dining concept hopes to take local customers on a nostalgic journey that promises delicious food and family fun.

By TREVOR ANDERSONtrevor.anderson@shj.com

A new west-side dining concept hopes to take local customers on a nostalgic journey that promises delicious food and family fun.On Monday, a franchise location for the Connecticut-based gourmet burger chain Jake's Wayback Burgers will open in 2,000-square-feet of the former Blockbuster Video space at the Reidville Circle shopping center at 1735 John B. White Sr. Boulevard.The store is owned and operated by a group of Spartanburg restaurateurs led by veteran Paul Melotte, proprietor of the local Bella Latte coffee company and a 15-restaurant franchise for national pizza chain Little Caesar's.“We're extremely excited to bring this concept here to Spartanburg,” Melotte said. “We spent a lot of time reviewing potential ideas for this market. The leadership at Jake's is incredible. They're easy to work with, supportive and thorough. We felt this was a perfect fit for this market.”Melotte is joined in the venture under the Jake's Southeast LLC banner by his longtime business partners Andy Hall and Heath Henderson, as well as his friend Terry Stathakis, owner of Sugar-n-Spice near downtown.The ownership has brought in young gun Andrew Lyda to serve as store manager and hired 24 employees to operate the 54-seat restaurant.It will be the first Jake's location in South Carolina. Founded in 1991 in Newark, Del., the company has 61 stores in 14 states, with the closest in Morganton, N.C., according to its website.“We are very excited to have this team on board,” said John Eucalitto, president of Jake's Wayback Burgers. “We think they will do extremely well for us. You couldn't ask for a better franchisee: someone that has the experience that they have and the exemplary way they operate their existing businesses.”

The décor of the restaurant is in keeping with the Jake's simple, rustic style, modeling the great American roadside burger joint. It includes butcher-block countertops, barn red paneling, subway tiles, and stainless steel, as well as sepia-toned vintage Americana photographs in black frames.Jake's menu includes a selection of hand-made burgers cooked to order and a variety of toppings. It also has hot dogs, grilled chicken, chicken fingers, a garden and turkey burger, a B.L.T., grilled cheese and a garden or Caesar salad. Sides include house made chips, onion rings French fries.Entrée prices range from about $3 to $7. A kid's meal is available with fries and a drink for $4.99. The restaurant will serve 12 flavors of hand-dipped milkshakes and malts from about $3 to $4.50.Melotte has been given the go-ahead from Jake's officials to season his restaurant's burgers—something that the company previously didn't do.“I guess we'll be the proving ground,” he said.In the kitchen, a full range of new equipment from Vulcan sits sparkling.The back room contains one feature that Melotte is particularly proud of. Rather than using a traditional grease trap, he has selected a unique, space-saving indoor storage system from the B.O.S.S. line that allows grease to be pumped out from a large via a valve in the back wall.Melotte credited Brian Lancaster Construction Co. with renovating the space and helping the ownership accomplish what they wanted for the store.“The way we all work together is remarkable,” Hall said. “But it's Paul's vision. We all have different hats we wear. It's very rewarding to see this come to fruition.”Melotte, 53, said it has always been his dream to return to the burger business, where he started 37 years ago at an A&W restaurant in his hometown of Lindstrom, Minn.

After college, the father of four went to work for McDonald's corporate team. Eventually, he got into the pizza business with Little Caesar's. He said he has plans to open at least one more pizza restaurant in Spartanburg.Last summer, Melotte opened the doors to his new café-style Bella Latte shop at 1595 E. Main St. adjacent to the Spartanburg Regional Federal Credit location in Duncan. He also has one other Bella Latte stand on the west side at 1637 John B. White Sr. Boulevard.But for now, he's focused on Jake's. He said more there is a possibility that he will open more locations across the Upstate and beyond.“This is the most exciting because I've wanted to get back into burgers,” Melotte said. “And now we're doing it with what I think is the best product in the country.”Jake's will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday.For more information, visit: www.waybackburgers.com.

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